The all-female championship W-Series announced its first major sponsorship deal with telecommunications brand ROKiT.
W-Series revealed its first major sponsorship agreement since its launch last year: global telecommunications brand ROKiT will join the all-female championship family with a multi-year deal that includes branding on all 20 cars plus drivers overalls.
To celebrate the brand-new partnership, W-Series will display a show-car in a special ROKiT livery on Sunday's evening at the Autosport Awards in London, while actual race liveries will be revealed at a later date.
W-Series has been a ground-breaking success in its inaugural season and now secures its first series sponsor, proving that its innovative business model can indeed become a sustainable model for the sport.
Series CEO Catherine Bond-Muir, speaking at the Sport Industry Breakfast Club last month, said that the championship was set to become profitable in its third year.
ROKiT firstly came to international attention last year, after the company committed to offering quality mobile phones at affordable prices displayed its logos on Williams Formula 1 cars. More branding opportunities in motorsports extended the company's presence to Formula E with a title sponsorship with team Venturi and in the British Touring Car Championship.
“We’re thrilled to welcome ROKiT to W Series,” said Bond Muir. “As a high-tech, disruptive, customer-focused brand, ROKiT sits comfortably alongside W Series and its mission to change the face of motorsport and we’re delighted that we’ll be racing together in the coming years."
"It’s also exciting to see a brand that’s already present in Formula 1, Formula E and other well-established race series, recognising and supporting opportunities for women in sport, and taking immediate action. We expect this to be an emerging trend in 2020.” - she concluded.
“We’ve been amazed by the progress made and the success achieved by W Series since it smashed into the world of motorsport, and we really want to be a big part of its future as it develops over the next few years." - commented Jonathan Kendrick, Chairman of ROKiT.
"Like W Series, ROKiT is a young, ambitious, tech-driven company making waves at the leading edge of our industry, and this partnership is an absolute natural fit for us.”
2019 series champion Jamie Chadwick said this was "wonderful news, and not only for W Series but also for the profile and success of women’s sport in general".
The 2020 calendar is still to be fully revealed, with two rounds still missing from the provisional schedule. The opening round will be in Russia on the newly-built Igora Drive racetrack, on May 29th.
Ph credits: W-Series media